Machine for removing waterproof coatings



c. w. KEUFFEL 1,949,868

Filed July 29', 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l March 6, 1934.

MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATERPROOF COATINGS INVENTOR- CAHL WKEUFFEL ATTORNEY- March 6, 1934. .c. w. KEUFFEL MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATERPROOF COATINGS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- CA/FL w lfEUFFEL @WZ P TTORNEY- Filed July 29, 1932 March 6, 1934. c w KEUFFEL 1,949,868

MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATERPROOF COATINGS \T\Z INVENTOR- CARL w. KEUFFEL ATTORNEY- March 6, 1934. c, w, KEUFFEL MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATERPROOF COATINGS Filed July 29, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR CARL W, flfl/FFH Patented Mar. 6, 1934 ()F'FECE MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATERPROOF COATINGS Carl W. Kcufi'el, Weehawken, N. J., assignor to Keufiel & Esser 00., Hobokcn, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 29, 1932, Serial No. 625,880

15 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for removing lacquer or water-proofing coatings from photographic line prints or reproductions. A process has been devised whereby photographic reproductions may be produced upon transparent sheets, such as tracing cloth which is subject to substantial deterioration or destruction by water. In printing upon such sheets, the sheet is first water-proofed with a lacquer or other suitable material and then a sensitized layer is formed upon the lacquered surface. The printing sheet formed with the sensitized layer thereupon is subjected to light with a negative in contact therewith so that the lines, figures, etc., are transferred to the printing sheet whereupon the sensitized layer is either washed or developed and washed in any known way. Prints formed in this manner are unsuited for corrections and additions because the lacquered surface does not readily take such additions or corrections and, in addition, the lacquered surface subjects the print to more or less rapid deterioration.

A process has heretofore been proposed whereby the lacquer or other water-proofing material may be removed from the surface of the print and various materials suitable for water-proofing tracing cloth and other sheets of a similar nature are known, as well as the methods whereby the desired reproduction maybe printed upon the sensitized sheet. The process of printing and of removing the water-proofing surface will not therefore be further described. The invention herein relates to a machine for removing the water-proofing coating upon prints using known .35 processes or any other process having the same purpose.

An object of the invention is to construct a machine for removing the water-proofing surface upon a sheet of printing material, such as tracing cloth.

Another object of the invention is to construct a machine for removing water-proof coatings upon sheets, such as tracing cloth, by passing the water-proofed and printed sheet through a solvent bath to soften the water-proof coating and then passing the sheet between blotting means which is pressed against the sheet, whereby the waterproof coating is picked up upon the blotting means and is completely and efiectively removed from the printed sheet.

Other objects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the inven tion, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-section through one embodiment of the invention showing only the principal elements thereof, with a waterproofed sheet passing therethrough and being treated by the machine to remove the waterso proofing surface.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the machine of Figure 1 showing the essential features thereof.

Figure 3 is a View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking down upon the solvent bath which 5 softens the water-proofing material, the pressing rollers and the blotting means.

Figure 4 is a cross-section of the machine taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken on 7 line 55 of Figure 4 through the slide upon which the upper roller is mounted so that this roller may be raised and separated from the other press roller.

Figure 6 is an enlarged elevational view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 4 showing the cam mechanism carried by the slide by which adjustment or separation of one of the rollers relatively to the other is accomplished.

Figure '7 is a view, showing, in side elevation, a g modification of the invention in which certain parts have been simplified.

The removal of the water-proofing surface from a large number of prints by hand, as heretofore proposed, becomes exceedingly tedious, costly and ineffective, since hand methods are invariably slow and the completeness of the removal is dependent upon the skill and care of the work man, and hence complete removal of the waterproofing surface cannot be assured by that method. The removal of the lacquer or waterproofing surface by machine can be accomplished with the devices to be described and the removal is rapid, complete and inexpensive.

The machine has a trough 10 with inclined sides 12 in which there is an appropriate solvent 11 for the coating to be removed. The trough and the solvent form a solvent bath through which the water-proofed sheet passes. Upon one side of the trough is a table 13 inclined at the mo same angle as the side 12 of the trough 10 so that the printed sheet with the water-proof coating thereon enters the solvent bath without unnecessary bending of the sheet. It is to be understood, however, that the feed table 13 need not be inclined because the printed sheet can withstand considerable bending without undue deterioration.

A horizontal delivery table 15 is provided adjacent the trough and on the other side thereof no from the inclined table 13. The table 15 has a well rounded end 16, proximate the trough 12. In lieu of such well rounded end, a roller 17 (Figure '7) may be journalled in the frame instead, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. A pair of pressure rollers comprising an upper roller 18 and a lower roller 19 are spaced from the trough 10 and so that the nip or point of contact between the rollers is substantially level with the top of the table 15. The rollers are preferably surfaced with felt or some other material having equivalent resilient or compressible characteristics.

A continuous sheet of blotting or absorbent material 22, such as blotting paper, is carried upon the roll 23, passes around the compression roller 18 and, in the modification of Figure 1, is wound upon a second wind-up roll 24. A second sheet of absorbent sheet material 26 carried upon a roll 2'7 passes over the well rounded end 16 of the table 15 or over the roller 17 between the table or roller and the trough 10 and over the pressure roller 19 and table 15 to the far end of the table where, in the modification of Figure 1, it passes over the table roller 58 to a second roll 28 and then is wound upon this roll. These two sheets of blotting material form blotting or absorbent means. which contact with the printed sheet after the water-proof coating has been softened and remove the coating therefrom. The roller 58 is carried upon an arm 59 at the end of the table 15 around which the blotting material 26 passes to the used or wind-up roll 28. The arm 59 carries a slot 60 through which the bolts 61 pass to anchor the roller to the end of the table and enable adjustment of the position of the roller 58.

A motor 30 having a speed reducing means 31 connected therewith drives a belt or chain 32 which passes around a sprocket or pulley 33 carried upon the shaft 34 upon which the lower compression roller 19 is mounted. The upper roller 18 is rotated by its contact with the roller 19 or by means which will be described hereinafter. The wind-up roll 24 for blotting material may, if desired, be rotated by means of a belt 36, or other means, Figure 1, which passes around a pulley 37 carried upon the shaft 34 of the compression roller 19 and also around a pulley 38 carried upon a shaft 39 which carries the roll 24. The wind-up roll 28 for the sheet of blotting material 26 is driven by a belt 42 which passes around a pulley 43 carried upon the shaft 34 of the compression roller 19 and then around a pulley 44 carried upon the shaft 45 upon which the roll of blotting material 28 is mounted. The rolls 23 and 27 of unused blotting material are carried upon shafts 4'7 and 48, respectively. The belt drive for these rolls provides a slip drive so that the rolls only take up the slack in the blotting sheets. This slip makes allowance for the difference in diameter of the rolls at different stages of winding up the sheets.

The rolls 28 and 24 for the sheet of blotting material 22 have their respective shafts 47 and 39 resting in and turning easily in grooves carried by the bracket 50 which extends above the compression roller 18. The tops of these grooves are open so that a fresh roll of blotting material may be easily and quickly positioned therein and the used blotting roll 24 may be easily and quickly removed when filled. The shafts 48 and 45 of the rolls 2'7 and 28, respectively, are carried in open grooves in the brackets 52 and 53 carried upon the frame 55 which brackets are positioned below the lower pressure roller 19.

The pressure roller 18 may be driven by its contact with the roller 19 but is preferably positively driven to insure that both rollers rotate at the same speed and prevent slippage between the sheet and one of the blotting sheets which would produce a blurring of the image lines on the printed sheet. When the roller 18 is positively driven, the pressure roller 19 conveniently carries a gear 65, Figure 2, which meshes with a gear 66 carried on the shaft 67 upon which the pressure roller 18 is mounted. The gears and 66 thus drive the pressure roller 18 at the same speed as the pressure roller 19. The pressure rollers 18 and 19 not only press the blotting material against the printed sheet, but also feed the sheet through the machine.

The ends of the shaft 67 for the pressure roller 18 are mounted in slide members 70. The slide members 70 are mounted in grooves '71 in the frame and the slide is retained in the groove by the plates '72 (Figure 5) fastened to the frame by means of the screws or bolts 73. In the modification of Figure 7, such slides '70 are held in the grooves by the transverse plates 74.

In the modification of Figure 2, each of the slide members 70 has a recess in which an eccentric or cam 76 is positioned. The eccentric is mounted upon a shaft 77 and carries a handle 78 by which the eccentric may be rotated in order to lift the slide members 70 and the compression roller 18. Lifting of the pressure roller 18 unmeshes the gears 65 and 66 so that the upper roller 18 is not driven or rotated excepting by its contact with the blotting means 22. Separation of the pressure rollers enables the end of a printed sheet to be inserted therebetween. Now if the upper roller 18 is lowered into contact with the lower roller 19, the printed sheet will be drawn through the machine. The weight of the pressure roller 18 upon the printed sheet S is ordinarily sufficient pressure thereupon to effectively remove the water-proofing coating. The shaft 77 which carries the eccentric '76, shown in Figure 5, passes across the entire machine and car ries a cooperating eccentric '76, which simultaneously raises or lowers the slide member 70 on the other side of the machine. The shaft 77 is journalled in the frame 55. A bar 80 may, if desired, be provided to prevent the operators fingers being caught between the pressure rollers 18 and 19.

In the modification of Figure 7, the upper pressure roller 18 is yieldingly held against the lower pressure roller 19 by spring pressure and the degree of such pressure is capable of adjust ment. On each side of the machine, a threaded adjusting stem 80, threaded in a bearing 81 in the bracket member 50, is adjusted by the hand wheel 82. Below the bearing 81, the stem 80 is provided with a spring seat 83. A cooperating spring seat 84 is carried by each sliding bearing 70 of the upper pressure roll 18. A coil spring 85 is disposed between the seats. Pilot pins, not

shown, may position the end of the spring on the ings are each provided with a lug or pin 87 and a transverse bar 88 is pivoted at one side, as at 89, below each pin. These bars 88 may be raised against the pins 8'? to elevate the slidesby eccentric cams 90 mounted upon opposite ends of a rock shaft 91, extending across the machine from side to side inbearings 92 on the frames of the brackets 50. The shaft 91 may be rocked by the handle 93.

In operation, the water-proofed sheet S, after it has been printed, is passed down the inclined table 13 into the solvent 11 carried in the trough 10. The solvent softens the lacquer or waterproofing material upon the print. The sheet S comes out of the bath and on to the blotting means 36 which comes onto the table 15 from the roll 27 by passing between the trough 10 and the table end. The sheet of blotting material then passes around the rounded end 16 of the table or over the roller 17, if present, and between the pressure rollers 18 and 19. The blotting means 26 carries the sheet S between the rollers 18 and 19 at which point the blotting means (22 and 26) is pressed firmly against both sides of the sheet S so that the softened lacquer or waterproofing coating adheres to the sheets of blotting material and is removed from the print. The feeding speeds of the blotting sheets are constant and controlled by the pressure rolls.

The printed sheet S is carried upon the lower blotting means 26 over the table 15 until it reaches the end. Here the top blotting means may be lifted up, the delacquered print removed and the used part of the blotting means torn off and discarded. If it is preferred, the used blotting means may roll up on the take-up rolls 24 and 28. The water-proofed coating adheres to the blotting means and is completely removed from the sheet S so that the sheet is now capable of receiving corrections or additions thereto' just as effectively as though the water-proofing or lacquering material had never been coated thereupon.-

In the modification of Figure '7, the table 13 may be hingedly mounted, as at 95, to the frame 55 and the extremity of the table 15 may similarly be hingedly mounted, as at 96, so that these parts may be folded back out of the way. As shown, the hinged table section 115 is held in operable position by a bracket member 97 removably connected to the frame 55, as at 98.

With this machine, a large number of prin s can be treated so that the lacquer or water-proofing surface is removed therefrom and because of the pressure between the rollers and the blotting means covering the entire surface of the sheet, every part of the water-proofing surface is removed therefrom. Effective removal of the lacquered surface is therefore accomplished quickly and effectively. It will be obvious that in some circumstances only one blotting means Will be required to remove the coating from one side of the print.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the configuration, composition and disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole, as well as in the selective combination or application of the respective elements, and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawings, except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for removing coatings from sheets "comprising a trough for a solvent bath for the coating material, pressing rollers adjacent thereto and between which the sheet is pressed, means driving at least one of the rollers, and blotting means passing between said rollers.

2. A coating removing machine for removing a coating from a sheet comprising means subjecting the coating of the sheet to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent thereto and between which the sheet passes, and blotting means passing between the rollers and contacting with both sides or" the sheet.

3. A lacquer removing machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the waterproof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent to the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, blotting means passing between the rollers and contacting with the print, and means adapted'to move one roller away from the other.

4. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the water-proof coating of the print to a solvent bath, resilient pressing rollers adjacent to the bath, blotting means between which the print passes pressed against the print by the rollers, means driving at least one roller, and a table adjacent the rollers and on the other side thereof from the bath.

5. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the water-proof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, a table adjacent the rollers and on the other side thereof from the bath, blotting means passing around one roller, and blotting means passing over the other roller and over the table.

6. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the water-proof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, a table adjacent the rollers and on the other side thereof from the solvent bath, means adapted to move one roller away from the other, blotting means passing around one roller, and blotting means passing over the other roller and over the table.

7. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising a trough for solvent for the water-proofing coating, a table adjacent the trough and extending away therefrom, an upper and lower press roller having their nip substantially level with the upper surface of the table and adjacent the trough but spaced from the end of the table, blotting means passing under the upper roller, blotting means passing over the table and lower roller, and means driving the press rollers and feeding both blotting means therebetween.

8. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising a trough having inclined sides for a solvent for the water-proof coating, a table adjacent one side of the trough and having an inclination corresponding to that of the adjacent inclined side of the trough, a horizontal table on the other side of the trough, an upper and a lower resilient squeeze roller having the nip thereof substantially level with the upper surface of the horizontal table, the rollers being adjacent the trough and spaced from the end of the table, blotting means passing under the upper roller, blotting means passing over the table and lower roller, and means feeding both blotting means between the rollers.

9. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising a trough having inclined sides to hold a solvent for the water-proof coating, a table adjacent one side of the trough and having an inclination corresponding to that of the adjacent inclined side of the trough, a horizontal table on the other side of the trough, and upper and a lower resilient squeeze roller having the nip thereof substantially level with the upper surface of the horizontal table, the rollers being adjacent the trough and spaced from the end of the table, blotting means passing under the upper roller, blotting means passing over the table and lower roller, and means driving at least one of the squeeze rollers and feeding both blotting means between the rollers.

10. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising a trough having inclined sides to receive a solvent for the water-proof coating, a table adjacent one side of the trough and having an inclination corresponding to that of the adjacent inclined side of the trough, a horizontal table on the other side of the trough, an upper and a lower resilient squeeze roller having the nip thereof substantially level with the upper surface of the horizontal table, the rollers being adjacent the trough and spaced from the end of the table, blotting means passing around the upper roller, blotting means passing over the table and lower roller, means driving at least one of the squeeze rollers and feeding both blotting means between the rollers, and means adapted to move the upper roller away from the lower roller.

11. A coating removing machine for removing a coating from a sheet comprising means subjecting the coating of the sheet to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent thereto and between which the sheet passes, blotting means passing between the rollers and contacting with both sides of the sheet and means to drive both rollers at the same speed.

12. A lacquer removing machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the waterproof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent to the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least' one roller, roll means, and blotting means carried thereby and passing between the rollers and contacting with the print.

13. A machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the water-proof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, a table adjacent the rollers and on the other side thereof from the solvent bath, a roll, blotting means carried thereby and passing around one roller, a second roll and blotting means carried thereby and passing over the other roller and over the table.

14. A lacquer removing machine for removing a water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the waterproof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent to the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, roll means, and blotting means carried thereby and passing between the rollers and contacting with the print and roll means about which the blotting means is wound after passing between the rollers.

15. A machine for removing a. water-proof coating from photographic line prints comprising means subjecting the water-proof coating of the print to a solvent bath, pressing rollers adjacent the bath and between which the print passes, means driving at least one roller, a table adjacent the rollers and on the other side thereof from the solvent bath, a roll, blotting means carried thereby and passing around one roller, a wind-up roll for said blotting means after passing around said one roller, a second roll and blotting means carried thereby and passing over the other roller and over the table and a second wind-up roll for the last named blotting means after passing over the table.

CARL W. KEUFFEL. 

